bookrandom Chapter 2041 Fight to the bitter end!
Chapter 2041 Fight to the bitter end!
The white horse cavalry roared in unison, and the white torrent ceased its harassment with mounted archery. Instead, it condensed into the sharpest arrows, and under Zhao Yu's leadership, it charged directly at the core of the Tang army's frontal defense with unstoppable momentum!
Their charge was precise, swift, and deadly, instantly tearing a huge hole in what was originally a relatively solid front line!
The four generals were enraged by the news that Feng Mulan was trapped in an encirclement!
They no longer considered casualties, no longer held back their strength; they had only one thought in their minds.
Break through all obstacles in front of us as quickly as possible!
Only by crushing the Tang army's camp can they rescue the revered Imperial Concubine and aid the Zhuque Legion, who are fighting a bloody battle!
At this moment, the intensity of the Chu army's offensive suddenly increased by several levels!
The right flank and front of the entire Tang army camp, like butter being cut by a red-hot steel knife, began to disintegrate and melt at a visible speed!
The brief advantage gained by Li Jing's risky gamble is being rapidly eroded by the even more ferocious power unleashed by the Chu army in its anger!
The balance of power in the war has been completely shattered!
Three-quarters of an hour later.
In the center of the Tang army camp, the makeshift watchtower, several meters high, became Li Jing's only vantage point to overlook the entire bloody chessboard.
He stood alone atop the tower, the biting wind howling past, whipping his purple python robe, making it flutter, but unable to dispel the heavy, solidified aura emanating from him.
His gaze, like that of a vulture circling above mountains of corpses and seas of blood, coldly swept across the battlefield outside the camp.
Directly in front of him, the Chu armies led by Ran Ming and Zhao Yu charged at the already weak front line like mad tigers, each impact causing the camp to tremble slightly.
On his right flank, Xue Huaide and Guan Yun's offensive was even more ferocious. The banners of Xue Huaide and Guan Yun's two legions, like invitations from the Grim Reaper, had been deeply embedded in the defensive line.
The sounds of shouting, collapsing, and screaming mingled together, indicating that the defense line could collapse at any moment.
However, Li Jing's face showed no panic whatsoever, not even the slightest ripple of emotion.
His eyes were devoid of joy or sorrow, as if the impending crisis before him had nothing to do with him.
All his attention and all his hopes were firmly fixed on the left flank of the battlefield.
In that area shrouded in dust and thick smoke, Wang Zhongsi was leading an army of 150,000 men in a decisive battle against Feng Mulan's Vermilion Bird Legion.
"Report——!"
A scout scrambled up the wooden steps of the watchtower, his voice shrill with urgency and fear:
"Reporting to the Commander! There is no sign of any troops being mobilized from the central army of Chu to support the left flank! Chu Ning... Chu Ning did not send troops to rescue the Vermilion Bird Legion!"
This news made the faces of the several military advisors and deputy generals standing on the tower turn even paler.
Chu Ning is so ruthless? He doesn't even care about the Imperial Concubine and 100,000 elite troops being surrounded?
However, the moment Li Jing heard this news, the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly on his usually calm face.
That wasn't a smile, but a mixture of solemnity, resoluteness, and a hint of...just as expected, icy coldness.
"Chu Ning... is indeed a ruthless person."
Li Jing's voice was low and hoarse, as if he were talking to himself: "In such a situation, he can still remain calm, not be restrained, and do the opposite!"
"This temperament and this decisiveness truly make him a hero."
His gaze was sharp as a knife, as if it could pierce through space and see the bright yellow banner of Chu Ning's central army in the distance:
"He's determined to raze my camp first, forcing Wang Zhongsi to come back to reinforce it, or he simply believes that Feng Mulan can hold out until then!"
"Humph!"
Li Jing let out a cold snort, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes, the kind of ruthlessness only a gambler with a madness possesses.
"But that's fine! Since he dares to treat Feng Mulan and the Vermilion Bird Legion as expendable pawns, then I, the commander, will gladly accept them!"
"As long as Wang Zhongsi can defeat or even capture Feng Mulan alive before the Chu army breaks through my camp, and destroy the Vermilion Bird Legion!"
"Then, the morale of the Chu army will inevitably collapse. Even if Chu Ning breaks through the camp, it will only be a Pyrrhic victory, and he may even be retaliated against by our army!"
His thinking was clear and ruthless. At this point, there was no turning back. The only option was to place even bigger bets in the game set up by the other party!
"Since Chu Ning dares to gamble, then this general will play along to the end!"
Li Jing turned around abruptly and shouted sternly at the messenger who was waiting for orders:
"Immediately send a message to General Wang Zhongsi! Tell him that the Chu army has received no reinforcements! His Majesty and I have high hopes for him!"
"Let him unleash his full potential, without any reservations, and launch a fierce attack on me at all costs! A fierce attack! And another fierce attack!"
Every word he uttered seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying the taste of iron and blood:
"Tell him that the entire army is watching him!"
"You must capture the Vermilion Bird Legion and take Feng Mulan prisoner in the shortest possible time! The greatest credit for this battle belongs to him alone!"
"Order!"
Sensing the unwavering resolve in Li Jing's words, the messenger dared not delay in the slightest.
He clasped his hands in agreement, then turned and nimbly slid down the watchtower like a monkey, leaped onto his warhorse, and galloped wildly toward the left flank of the battlefield.
After delivering the orders to Wang Zhongsi, Li Jing's gaze swept over the precarious right flank and the frontal defense line once more, his face showing no wavering.
He knew that every extra moment they held out on their side would increase Wang Zhongsi's chances of winning.
"Send the order to Liu Hongji on the right flank, and to all the generals defending the front!"
Li Jing's voice remained icy, devoid of any emotion, "Tell them that I know they are under immense pressure, but at this moment, there is no turning back!"
"No matter the cost, even if we fight to the last man, we absolutely cannot let the Chu army break into our camp!"
"Anyone who dares to retreat a single step will be executed without mercy! Reinforcements... there are no reinforcements!"
"Behind them lies General Wang Zhongsi's battlefield; their perseverance will determine the outcome of the entire battle!"
This order effectively sealed the fate of the right flank and the front-line defenders—they would be sacrificed to buy time for Wang Zhongsi.
The order was quickly relayed. Once again, only Li Jing's solitary figure remained on the watchtower.
He leaned against the cold railing, gazing at the increasingly fierce battle on the left flank, listening to the battle cries from the right flank and the front growing ever closer, and muttered to himself:
"Wang Zhongsi, do not let me down, do not let down the Great Tang!"
The entire Tang army camp had been transformed into a massive furnace of flesh and blood, and Li Jing was the gambler standing on the edge of that furnace, calmly placing his final bet.
The outcome will be revealed in this fierce and exhausting struggle.